2 Gold Will Be the First Manhattan Building to Install a 13-ft Airtight Flood Gate

One NYC apartment that was hit hard by the waters that flooded the Financial District during Hurricane Sandy is taking matters into its own hands by investing in a giant, airtight floodgate. 2 Gold will be the first Manhattan rental complex to build a 13-foot, $250,000 gate in its basement in order to prepare for future extreme weather events. The hope is that the structure will safeguard the building’s mechanical systems, allowing them to withstand rising tides.

Tenants of the Lower Manhattan building were pretty unhappy after Hurricane Sandy left their homes uninhabitable for a whopping seven months. The storm itself caused $15 million in damage, not counting the costs of the class action suit waged by the residents of the building.

The gate that the building intends to install would self-activate during floods, engaging nitrogen gaskets to create a tight seal. Currently, 2 Gold has a three foot floodgate, which didn’t do much to stop Hurricane Sandy’s nine foot surge. They hope a 13-foot flood gate will fare better.

Floodgates like the one 2 Gold is investing in are common in flood-prone areas in the south, but this will be the first to be constructed in Manhattan. The gate’s presence will likely spur other buildings in the region to follow suit, but rising waters need to flow somewhere, so there is no guarantee that any low-lying place will remain safe.